On April 16, 2009, President Obama, together with Vice President Biden and Secretary of Transportation LaHood, announced a new vision for developing high-speed passenger rail in America. They called for a collaborative effort by the Federal Government, States, railroads and other key stakeholders to help transform America’s transportation system through the creation of a national network of high-speed rail corridors. To achieve this vision, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) launched the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program in June 2009.

Program Goals

The HSIPR Program supports a series of strategic transportation goals:

Building a foundation for economic competitiveness

Ensuring safe and efficient transportation choices

Promoting energy efficiency and environmental quality

Supporting interconnected livable communities

In the long-term, HSIPR Program funding is intended to build an efficient, high-speed passenger rail network connecting major population centers 100 to 600 miles apart. In the near-term, the program will aid in economic recovery efforts and lay the foundation for this high-speed passenger rail network through planning studies and targeted investments in existing intercity passenger rail infrastructure, equipment and intermodal connections.

Legislative Background

The foundation for the HSIPR Program is contained in two pieces of legislation: the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA or Recovery Act).

PRIIA, passed in October 2008, established three new competitive grant programs for high-speed and intercity passenger rail capital improvements. In February 2009, President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law, appropriating $8 billion for these new high-speed and intercity passenger rail grant programs.

In December 2009, Congress appropriated an additional $2.5 billion for the HSIPR Program in the FY 2010 Department of Transportation Appropriations Act. This funding will supplement projects funded under the Recovery Act and invest in new planning, engineering, and environmental studies; individual capital projects; and large-scale service development programs.